Weight Watchers: Mandelyn's Story

As I rushed to get ready after exercising at the gym one morning, I pulled on a pair of my pre-WW pants to wear. They were absolutely HUGE. There was no way I could have gone to my business meetings in those giant things. Clearly, I had grabbed the wrong pants from my closet! Part of me was angry I had done this but another part of me was ecstatic about how far I had come. Fortunately, I was able to pick up a smaller size that fit well before going to work. I also took this as a sign from above that a trick had not been played on me; rather someone was trying to tell me to get rid of those clothes so I can never grow back into them! After that, I gladly bagged up my former wardrobe and gave everything to Goodwill.

I have struggled with my weight for my entire life. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroid, Grave’s Disease, a year ago, and unlike hypothyroid, hyperthyroid probably kept me from being as overweight as I might have been given my eating habits and lack of exercise. Once I started on medication, my doctor warned me that if I did not change my diet and exercise, I would gain weight. After six weeks on medication, I had gained twelve pounds. I was at my heaviest ever, 230.2 pounds. That very day leaving the doctor’s office in tears, I found my nearest WW meeting and went in at 5:30 to start my weight loss journey.

Some of my favorite things about the WW program include:

• Celebration for milestones every week (even those that are not scale-related!)
• The Eight Good Health Guidelines (fruits and veggies, whole grains, dairy, water, healthy oils, protein, a multivitamin and limit sugars and alcohols)
• Online eTools (track what you eat, recipes, community forum and more)
• Weight Watchers Mobile (an internet-based program to track your food intake – great for handhelds!)
• Flexibility to eat what you want
• You can get active at your own personal pace!